Hello there everyone, I must say that while i am grateful for the work Acharya has done and I regularly recommend her books Christ in Egypt and others... I was somewhat curious as to what articles she has published in regards to peer review. I realize she has been doing this work what... a little over 20 years? I am kinda curious to gloss over any articles she has published under some esteemed archaeological/theological journal.

Peer review can be a great thing when the process isn't contaminated with various biases, prejudices and a priori assumptions. The major sciences seem to have a handle on it. However, when it comes to the subject of religion very little is actually seriously peer reviewed in any meaningful way because so much is open to interpretation. So, often times we end up with christians reviewing christian books and atheists reviewing atheist books. When theists and atheists review each other's works, you're on your own to decide who is right. So, in the end the clamor for "peer review" on the subject of religion isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Here's why ...

Just look at how academia fails to be objective about a "historical" Jesus or the case for mythicism for example. The organizations such as the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) and American Academy of Religion (AAR) etc that are SUPPOSED to examine religious texts with a critical eye have no intention of putting that spotlight where it really needs to be - on the "historical" Jesus and case for mythicism. They refuse to take seriously the case for mythicism or the mythicist position - that way they can ignore it as explained here by Earl Doherty

Dr. Robert Price, a Jesus Seminar fellow with a Ph.D. in theology and biblical studies, points out that academia simply cannot be trusted on the most controversial issues that really matter:

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"...As for this tiresome business about there being "no scholar" or "no serious scholar" who advocates the Christ Myth theory: Isn't it obvious that scholarly communities are defined by certain axioms in which grad students are trained, and that they will lose standing in those communities if they depart from those axioms? The existence of an historical Jesus is currently one of those. That should surprise no one, especially with the rightward lurch of the Society for Biblical Literature in recent years. It simply does not matter how many scholars hold a certain opinion."

"Scholarly peer review (also known as refereeing) is the process of subjecting an author's scholarly work, research, or ideas to the scrutiny of others who are experts in the same field, before a paper describing this work is published in a journal. Peer review requires a community of experts in a given (and often narrowly defined) field, who are qualified and able to perform impartial review. Impartial review, especially of work in less narrowly defined or inter-disciplinary fields, may be difficult to accomplish; and the significance (good or bad) of an idea may never be widely appreciated among its contemporaries. Although generally considered essential to academic quality, and used in most important scientific publications, peer review has been criticized as ineffective, slow, and misunderstood"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer_revie ... eer_review

As concerns Acharya S, who's going to "peer review" her work with an objective eye? What scholar has a Ph.D. in astrotheology? NONE! There's no course for it in theology, biblical or New Testament studies. Neither astrotheology nor the case for mythicism is a requirement for NT students in order to get their Ph.D. Acharya's work covers a wide variety of disciplines such as archaeology, astronomy, archaeoastronomy, mythology, history, biblical & textual criticism etc. So, on the subject of religion our best "peer review" will be found in books from opposing sides but biases, prejudices and a priori assumptions must be kept in check - and always consider the source. With rampant credentialsm run amok these days one must be cautious even with Ph.D. scholarship as there are certainly biases, prejudices and a priori assumptions run amok there too.

So, Acharya is NOT very interested in submitting articles to these so-called establishments like the SBL and AAR because she feels like it's an utter waste of time as they've made their position clear that they are not interested in astrotheology or the case for mythicism. I'm also reminded of the failure of the Jesus Project. Until that changes, our best peer review comes from book reviews, blogs, articles and comments from others that Acharya S NEVER had to pay for like so many others do. John Loftus at the Debunking Christianity blogspot comes to mind with his book titled The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails. When I see all those blurbs for his books I quickly get the impression that they were paid for either by Loftus or his publisher. People do often get paid for these things because reviewing a book means taking loads of time away from working on one's own projects; so it doesn't mean it's always a bad thing. However, you're obviously not going to get paid for a negative blurb or review.

(NB: This article was published in a three-part series in the magazine Secular Nation, at the suggestion of Dr. Robert Price, who called the series "fine articles." Secular Nation had never published a three-part article before.)

"Your scholarship is relentless! ...the research conducted by D.M. Murdock concerning the myth of Jesus Christ is certainly both valuable and worthy of consideration." —Dr. Kenneth L. Feder, Professor of Archaeology, Central Connecticut State University, Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience In Archaeology

"I find myself in full agreement with Acharya S/D.M. Murdock... I find it undeniable that...many, many of the epic heroes and ancient patriarchs and matriarchs of the Old Testament were personified stars, planets, and constellations..." —Dr. Robert M. Price, The Pre-Nicene New Testament

"I can recommend your work whole-heartedly!" —Dr. Robert Eisenman, James the Brother of Jesus and The New Testament Code, RobertEisenman.com

"Acharya S deserves to be recognized as a leading researcher and an expert in the field of comparative mythology, on a par with James Frazer or Robert Graves—indeed, superior to those forerunners in the frankness of her conclusions and the volume of her evidence." —Barbara Walker, The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets and Man Made God

"I've known people with triple Ph.D's who haven't come close to the scholarship in Who Was Jesus?" —Pastor David Bruce, M.Div, North Park Seminary, Chicago, HollywoodJesus.com

"Thirty years ago, when in divinity school, I might have had second thoughts about becoming an Episcopal priest if a book like D. M. Murdock's Who Was Jesus? had been available to me." —Bob Semes, Retired university professor of History and Religion, Founder and Executive Director of The Jefferson Center

"Ms. Murdock is one of only a tiny number of scholars with the richly diverse academic background (and the necessary courage) to adequately address the question of whether Jesus Christ truly existed as a walking-talking figure in first-century Palestine." —David Mills, Atheist Universe

"Thank you, Acharya, for the important work you are doing. Who Was Jesus? Fingerprints of the Christ just might be the best short introduction to Biblical scholarship yet." —David Bergland, 1984 Libertarian Party Presidential Candidate, Libertarianism In One Lesson

"...I have found her scholarship, research, knowledge of the original languages, and creative linkages to be breathtaking and highly stimulating." —Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham, Pastor, Presbyterian Church, Houston, TX

"Acharya S has done a superb job in bringing together the rich panoply of ancient world mythology and culture, and presenting it in a comprehensive and compelling fashion." —Earl Doherty, The Jesus Puzzle

"The Christ Conspiracy—very, very scholarly and wholly researched—is a book for today..." -Rev. B. Strauss, ex-Catholic Priest, Chicago, IL

"Amidst the global chaos of George Bush's War on Terror, largely founded on religious intolerance and simplistic notions of good and evil, Acharya S is the voice of reason." —Joan D'Arc, Paranoia

"D.M. Murdock could well be the most brilliant, insightful and rigorous theologian writing today." —Robert Tulip

"Acharya S is the ranking religious philosopher of our era." —John K.

"Acharya S/Murdock deserves an award for her hard work and courage. She is the Galileo of our day!" —Charles Johnson

"Acharya S knows more about the ancient Mysteries than any living scholar." —Christopher Knowles

"Acharya S is an amazing researcher with a tremendous amount of energy and appetite for constant discovery of newer horizons. " —Dr. O.P. Sudrania

"The basic theme of my website are cultural contacts and migration covering the time range from human origin up to the discovery of America by Columbus in 1492. This website will present and serve internationally as a multidisciplinary basis for the highest stage of scientific knowledge of "Migration and Diffusion of Culture" in this area of time."

"Migration & Diffusion - an international journal" with 127 articles, written by 72 different authors, coming from 16 different countries have been published."

Here is a fantastic upcoming publication in which one of my articles is included. I hope it does very well! I am honored to be among this company.

Quote:

Anahita is a collection of essays, artwork and prose edited by the author Payam Nabarz. You can find out more about this unique collection on our website, http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk - more information and pre-order information will soon be published. Until then, we leave you with this list of men and women who contributed to Anahita: Persian Goddess and Zoroastrian Yazata :

Contributors Biographies

In Part 1 Academic Papers

Payam Nabarz is author of The Mysteries of Mithras: The Pagan Belief That Shaped the Christian World (Inner Traditions, 2005), The Persian Mar Nameh: The Zoroastrian Book of the Snake Omens & Calendar (Twin Serpents, 2006), and Divine Comedy of Neophyte Corax and Goddess Morrigan (Web of Wyrd Press, 2008). He is also editor of Mithras Reader An academic and religious journal of Greek, Roman, and Persian Studies, Volume 1 (2006), Volume 2 (2008), and Volume 3 (2010). His latest books are Stellar Magic: a Practical Guide to Rites of the Moon, Planets, Stars and Constellations (Avalonia, 2009) and Seething Cauldron: Essays on Zoroastrianism, Sufism, Freemasonry, Wicca, Druidry, and Thelema (Web of Wyrd Press, 2010). For further info visit: http://www.stellarmagic.co.uk & http://www.myspace.com/nabarz

Dr. Israel Campos Méndez is Assistant Professor in Ancient History at the University of Las Palmas of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain). His lines of research are related to the History of Religion, and in particular to the Cult of Mithra in Ancient Iran and the Roman Empire. His PhD thesis was entitled: The God Mithra: Analysis of the processes of adjustment of his worship from the social, political and religious frame of the Ancient Iran to that of the Roman Empire. He has written two books in Spanish about the cult of Mithra in Ancient Persia, and many others papers and articles about the Zoroastrian Religion and the Mithraic Mysteries.

Kaveh Farrokh (PhD) is at University of British Columbia -Continuing Studies - History Lecturer, & Reader Head of Department of Traditions & Cultural History - WAALM School of Cultural Diplomacy (nominated for Nobel Peace Prize 2011). He is a Member of Stanford University’s WAIS (World Association of International Studies) and Member of Iranian Studies for Hellenic-Iranian Studies.

Dr. Matteo Compareti studied oriental languages in the University of Venice and after graduation he obtained his PhD from the University of Naples, L’Orientale. He specializes in the art history of Iran and Central Asia. His latest publications are Samaracanda Centro del Mondo – Proposte di Lettura del Ciclo Pittorico di Afrasiyab, Minesis, (2010), and Iranians on the Silk Road: Merchants, Kingdoms and Religions by Touraj Daryaee, Khodadad Rezakhani, and Matteo Compareti, Publisher: Afshar Publishing, Beverly Hills, California (2010). He is an independent scholar not affiliated to any institution, Italian or foreign.

Sheda Vasseghi has a Masters in Ancient History - Persia and a Masters in Business Administration. Ms. Vasseghi focuses on Iranian national identity. Her special interest encompasses Iranian philosophy as it applies to modern day social, political and religious issues. She believes history provides the answers to current problems, and lack of knowledge in the field leads to poor decision-making by citizens and policymakers. Ms. Vasseghi is a regular contributor to political and history publications on Iran's affairs. She is an adjunct Professor of History at the Northern Virginia Community College. Ms. Vasseghi is also on the Board of the Azadegan Foundation and a member of http://www.persepolis3D.com.

D.M. Murdock is an independent scholar of comparative religion and mythology, specializing in nature worship, solar mythology and astrotheology. An alumna of Franklin & Marshall College and the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Greece, Murdock is the author of several controversial books about the origins and relationship of religious ideas dating back thousands of years to the earliest known evidence. Her work can be found at TruthBeKnown.com and StellarHousePublishing.com.

Sam Kerr is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (London) and of several Colleges of Surgery. A Zoroastrian by birth, he migrated to Australia in 1968. He was Surgeon/Lecturer at the University of New South Wales and its College Hospitals, Sydney, Australia from 1968 to 2003. He is now Emeritus Surgeon at the University and its College Hospitals.

Rahele Koulabadi, has an MA in Archaeology, and is based at the University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran.

Dr. Seyyed Rasool Mousavi Haji was born on December 30, 1967, in Savadkouh, Iran. He received his PhD in Archaeology in 2003 from Tarbiat Modarres University of Iran. He is teaching as an Associate Professor in the Archaeology Department in the University of Sistan and Baluchestan. He also is the Dean of the Faculty of Art and Architecture. He has published four books and several articles about the archaeology of the Sassanian and Islamic periods. His main fieldworks are: Archaeological survey in Sistan plain in 2007 and 2008, archaeological survey in Zahedane Kohne (capital of Sistan during 5 to 9 A. H.) in 2002 and excavation to estimate size of the Zahedane Kohne in 2007.

Morteza Ataie has an M.A. in Archaeology, and is based at the University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran.

Seyyed Mehdi Mousavi Kouhpar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Archaeology at Tarbiat Modares University.

Seyed Sadrudin Mosavi Jashni is an Assistant Professor in the Research Institute of Imam Khomeini and the Islamic Revolution.

Dr Kamyar Abdi is an Iranian archaeologist. He received his M.A. from the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, University of Chicago, and his PhD in Archaeology/Anthropology from the University of Michigan.

Saman Farzin M.A is based at Iranology Department of History, University of Shiraz, Iran.

Maryam Zour M.A. is based at Archaeology University of Sistan and Baluchistan Zahidan-Iran.

Babak Aryanpour M.A. is based at Iranology, University of Shiraz, Iran.

Reza MehrAfarin is an Associate Professor, University of Sistan & Baluchestan.

In Part 2 Arts.

Akashanath is a Ceremonial Magician with a background in Thelema and the Golden Dawn system. He is also a Sanyasin of the Adinath Sampradaya and a practitioner of English Rune Magick.

Shapour Suren-Pahlav Co-founded The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies (CAIS) in 1998, as an independent not-profit educational programme, with no affiliation to any political or religious group, dedicated to the research, protection, preservation of the pre-Islamic Iranian civilisation.

Ana C. Jones was born in Brazil, she is trained as a teacher and electrical engineer. In 1989 she came to live in England with husband and their three children. Her interest in Traditional Astrology led her to complete C. Warnock’s Renaissance Astrological magical course, plus two others of the same calibre. At the moment she is studying Alchemy from Adam McLean courses, Hermetic Magic with the OMS as well as Mithraism. She practices Traditional British Witchcraft and Stregoneria. She finds inspiration among her studies and practices to express herself through her drawings, paintings and sculptures.

In Part 3 Religious Articles, Poetry, Stories.

Katherine Sutherland is a poet and author, her collection Underworld, a reworking of the Persephone myth, was recently published (Web of Wyrd Press, 2010). She has papers published in the following anthologies: Both Sides of Heaven: Essays on Angels, Fallen Angels and Demons (Avalonia, 2009), From a Drop of Water (Avalonia, 2009), Hekate: Her Sacred Fires (Avalonia, 2010).

Another reference to my work appears in Encyclopedia of Dubious Archaeology by Dr. Kenneth Feder, the skeptical American archaeologist who can be seen in many documentaries by NatGeo, Discovery and History Channel. Ken has written skeptical/scientific textbooks dealing with "pseudoscientific" claims such as the ancient aliens theory of human creation and civilization. You will see him as the debunker on these various shows, and his books are used fairly widely in college and university courses dealing with these issues, which include:

Note that some of these issues I discuss in the "Evidence of an Ancient Global Civilization" chapter in The Christ Conspiracy. Some of the information there is not as scholarly as I would like, because of the scientific advances since the time of publication, such as the DNA studies. For the new edition of Christ Con, therefore, I am removing that chapter and using it as the basis for a later publication, refining the information based on as scientific an analysis as can be mustered. In this regard, I will be communicating with Dr. Feder and other professional scholars.

In the index of Feder's book, I am listed as "Murdock, D.M., 244." Turning to that page (244), we discover a discussion of Sitchinism, in which the Sumerian gods are believed to be "ancient aliens." Feder cites the work of Middle Eastern language expert Dr. Michael S. Heiser's critical analysis of Sitchin's Sumerian interpretations. He next says:

Quote:

And how about the Anunnaki? What do the Sumerians have to say about them? Well, according to Heiser, nowhere in any Sumerian (or Akkadian or Babylonian or Assyrian or Hebrew or other ancient) text does anyone say they arrived in spaceships or rockets or from another planet or that they wore spacesuits or had laptops, cell phones, iPods, or iPads. As scholar D.M. Murdock (2010) points out, the ancient Sumerians were quite clear in calling the Anunnaki gods or spirits, guardians of the gates through which the sun passes. To maintain that they are extraterrestrial aliens from a planet whose existence not only cannot be proven but cannot even be accounted for by the laws of physics (its gravity would have a measurable impact) is to apply twentieth- and twentieth-first-century sensibilities to an ancient religion. It just doesn't work, no matter how many times Sitchin repeats it in his 13 books.

In the bibliography of the Encyclopedia of Dubious Archaeology appears the following reference:

Also, there were at least two articles of mine published in The Journal of Higher Criticism, which used to be run by Dr. Darrell Doughty at Drews University before his passing in 2009. Bob Price was his partner on that effort, which included articles by many biblical scholars.

Without doing further research, I can't recall exactly which articles of mine were published in the JHC. Obviously, these journal articles were peer reviewed, I'm guessing by both Doughty and Price.

In addition, my work is discussed by Dr. Michael Lockwood, both in his book Buddhism's Relation to Christianity and other articles such as his "shoot of Jesse" paper. He provided me with the latter, and I don't know if it has been published anywhere.

I have done a very lengthy review of Lockwood's Buddhism book that I will be publishing in 2013. Lockwood's book is full of primary sources demonstrating key Buddhist themes in common with Christianity, along the lines of what I have discussed in my previous works. I consider this book one of the most important in the large body of mythicist literature, which is why I spent so much time on it.

It should be noted that Lockwood taught philosophy in India for 30 years and knows the culture there very well:

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Prof. Michael Lockwood taught philosophy for thirty-two years at Madras Christian College, South India. His research has been mainly in the field of Indology. With his colleague, professor Vishnu Bhatt, he published, in 1994, Metatheater and Sanskrit Drama followed in 2005 by its second, revised and enlarged edition. Also, in 2005, the two colleagues published another work on classical Sanskrit drama: Charudattam: Torso of a Masterpiece . A few years earlier, in 2001, Dr. Lockwood, together with several colleagues, brought out the book, Pillava Art. Now, in retirement, Dr. Lockwood has devoted several years to the present study of the relation of Buddhism to Christianity.

_________________Why suffer from Egyptoparallelophobia, when you can read Christ in Egypt? Try it - you'll like it:

So, to re-cap, Acharya has been repeatedly peer reviewed by 30 year scholars such as Drs. Lindtner and Lockwood in her "Buddhism's Relation to Christianity," by Dr. Francesco Carotta in her "Pre-Christian God on a Cross?" article, by Frank Zindler in the "Bart Ehrman & Quest" book and by Dr. P. Nabaz in his Anahita journal. This article was peer reviewed by Dr. John Hoopes, an anthropologist at the University of Kansas who specializes in Mesoamerican culture: Maya mythology and its relationship to Christianity

Murdock's books themselves have been read by a variety of people who are intelligent and educated, and who endorse her scholarship, including Robert Price, Dr. Michael Lockwood, Earl Doherty, Dr. Kenneth Feder, Dr. Robert Schoch, Rev. David Bruce, Rev. B. Strauss, Rev. Jon Burnham, Rev. Carlton Pearson, Barbara G. Walker and David Mills and more.

"The editors of the ACP Journal Club find that less than 1% of studies in most journals are “both scientifically sound and important for clinicians”.

We have little or no evidence that peer review ‘works,’ but we have lots of evidence of its downside.

Peer-review does not detect errors. Again numerous studies have demonstrated this. Papers have certain errors deliberately inserted into them (mixes of major and minor) and are then sent to peer review, and the rate of detection of those errors is so often very, very low indeed."

Methodology

Richard Carrier states:

Code:

Carrier at 1:43:50: "Well part of my project for the 'Historicity of Jesus' was I realized that the methodology in Jesus studies is hosed basically and I'm not the only one to notice this. Many scholars in the field have pointed out that the methodologies that have been used to study Jesus are hopelessly flawed."

Carrier at 1:45:55: "I have like 50 pages in my book 'Proving History' on why the 'criterion of embarrassment' is logically fallacious and does not work in Jesus studies at all."

http://www.wired.com/2014/04/geeks-guide-christopher-moore/

So if Carrier and his fanboys concede that methodology and peer review related to Jesus studies are "hopelessly flawed" then, the only reason they would continue their disingenuous smears on Acharya is to 'poison the well' and character assassinate her, which is very unethical and they MUST be called out on it by others. But, don't misunderstand, of course we support quality methodology and peer review but, Acharya S knew there were serious issues with both long before Richard Carrier started talking about it - he was not the first to point it out.

A new article by Acharya S, peer reviewed by a 40-year scholar and renowned expert in linguistics: "one of the pioneers who worked on the Proto-Indo-European linguistic theory positing that Indian and European languages derive from the same remote, prehistoric root":

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